


Defiled Blood of the Accursed

by Lachesissora



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bloodborne Fusion, Angst, Dark, Family Feels, Gen, Heavy Angst, Minor Character Death, Nero's Mother - Freeform, Spardaverse Week, Tragedy, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, background Eva and Sparda as grandparents, bloodborne au, but set few years before the events in the game, horror elements are there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22527835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lachesissora/pseuds/Lachesissora
Summary: 2 years ago, Nero's parents decided to travel to Yharnam after they had heard of a medicine that could cure all ailments exist in the city.And ever since then, they never come back.Written for Spardaverse week.
Relationships: Dante & Nero (Devil May Cry), Dante & Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 46





	1. The Young Traveler: Nero

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The story sets few years before the events of the game, years before Yharnam was heavily infected by the plague, and Old Yharnam was a thriving city. 
> 
> The Sparda boys are just normal human.

“Ye here”

Nero shook awake when the wagon abruptly stopped. He yawned as he got up, looking at his surroundings. No house, no people around. He was still in the forest. 

“Ye have to walk an hour for ya to reach town.” The old man said.

“Hey, I paid enough gil for you to send me there. Now I have to walk?” Nero strapped his sword behind his back as he jumped down from the wagon. He took his bag and pointed to the horses, “At least let me ride your horse for compensation or something. You have three of em!”

“Nay! This is the closest I can get ya to the town. Ain’t stepping my feet or my horses there. Ya stop wastin my time and go off will ya?”The old merchant pat the horse back and the wagon started to move. Nero rolled his eyes. Guess walking was his only option then.

Nero trudged along the path. It was a small road, surrounded by tall trees… Well he was in the middle of the forest, What else should he expected to see? An animal? A wild beast? As if the rumours about a wild beast roaming the forest next to the city of Yharnam was something to be taken seriously. But those rumours sure scared off those merchants from going through this road. Almost all the merchants he encountered at the previous town refused to send him here. Hell, they even forbid him from buying their horses. Nero didn’t understand the unnecessary fear over those rumours. This road was the closest and the fastest route to Yharnam. Why would he choose the other route which would caused him weeks to reach the city by crossing through the big lake when he could just plow through this forest and arrived at the city in just one day? Nero was so close to actually steal a horse until that old merchant took his offer. But that old geezer dropped him off halfway through the journey. Maybe, he should steal the horse in the first place.

As he walked alone, he held his pendant tightly on his neck. He wouldn’t be here making this journey if it weren't for them. It had been two years since Nero’s parents disappeared. The last time he heard about them, they were on their way to Yharnam, the city he was heading right now. He remembered the day when they departed from the Sparda manor, his mother reminded him to never skip his studies with his grandfather as she kissed his forehead. While his father told him that they would resume his sword training once they had returned. It was a normal occurrence for Nero and his parents. His parents were an avid traveler; his father was a scholar and a skilled swordsman, and his mother was a physician. They always traveled to different countries to seek knowledge for their research and studies. And most of their travel only caused them to be away from Nero for more than a month or two. Never more than that. 

But 6 month had passed and his parents never came back, nor was there any letters from them. Nero was getting restless. His grandmother tried to assure him that everything was going to be okay. But Nero knew his grandparents were worried too. It wasn’t like them to be like this. They always write letters to them. His grandfather had once decided to search for them by himself before his uncle stepped in, telling his grandfather that “If anybody know where to find Vergil then it gotta be me. So you stay here with your job, Father.” Nero didn’t understand what his uncle meant. Maybe it was a twin thing. But his uncle had promised him to bring them both back, safe and sound.

And that was also the last time he saw his goofy uncle Dante. 

2 years had passed with no words from any of them and Nero was now 17. His father had once promised him that when he reached 17, Nero could join them on their travel. But here he was, a 17 year old young traveler, walking all alone in the woods. It was hard to convince his grandparents, especially his grandmother when Nero decided to search for them on his own. Ever since his uncle had disappeared, his grandfather had launched a search party but to no avail. Nero could see the distress expression on his grandfather’s face. If his grandfather could search them on his own then he could do it in an instant. But he couldn’t and that caused his grandfather to be a bit distraught, even though he hid it behind his smile. Nero still remembered the expression on his grandparents face when he told them his plan. They were against it, especially his grandmother. Nero understood their fear of losing another family member but he couldn't just stay here and wait. 

So that night, Nero silently sneaked out from the mansion. As he was preparing his (now dead) horse for the travel, his grandfather appeared.

“Your grandmother will be worried sick once she know what you’re doing, young man.” His grandfather's voice was calm that night, as if he knew whatever he said, Nero would still continue with his search.

“Grandfather… I don’t wish to cause grandmother to worry. But I can’t stay here and wait any longer!” Nero pleaded. 

His grandfather slowly approached him and carefully place his hand on Nero’s head. “I understand, child. That’s why I’m here to give you my blessing instead of stopping you.” Nero's eyes went wide as he looked straight to his grandfather. His grandfather gave him a sad smile. “We both know we can’t stop you from searching for them. You’re equally as stubborn as your father. Because of that, I won't stop you, Nero. Just promise us that you will be safe and no matter what happens, you will return to us.” 

Nero nodded and took off that night. It’s been nearly a week after he departed. Nero quicken his pace as he walked through the forest. The sun was about to set and he had walked for over an hour. 

“Damn, an hour walk my ass. This feels like an eternity.” He leaned himself on a tree to catch his breath. He took a deep breath and continued forward. After a few steps, he finally out from the forest. In front of him was a huge road and ahead of it, he saw a row of small wooden houses. Beyond the wooden houses, lies big architectural metropolitan city. As he walked slowly passed the wooden houses, he passed a huge metal gate with intricate pattern. 

He had finally arrived in Yharnam.

* * *

Nero didn’t know much about Yharnam or even its people. The only thing he knew was that Yharnam was famous for their healing medicine said to cure all ailments, which he had heard from his mother days before their departure to this city. He wasn’t meant to eavesdrop on his parents but he remembered how distraught his mother was when she told his father about it. Nero didn’t know what’s going on. If a medicine that can cure any ailment exist then should it be a good thing? But why did is caused his mother to be so worried? The next morning, his parents informed him that they would depart to Yharnam the day after tomorrow. 

_And they just came back from their last trip…._

Maybe he should have asked the merchants at the previous town about Yharnam because, to be honest, he didn't know where should he go. Yharnam was a huge city with many districts. How on earth was he supposed to find clues on his family's whereabouts? They could be at the outskirts of Yharnam or even in the middle of the city centre. Hell, he didnt even know where the fuck he was!

_Yeah, map. I need a damn map._

Nero walked further into the streets of Yharnam. The streets were crowded with Yharnamites going about with their day to day business. Nero tried to blend in with the crowd but damn, he should at least brought a hat or something. People were staring at his hair.

Trying to move away from the crowds, Nero found himself a bar in a residential district. Since the sun was about to set, he should be searching for nearby inn to stay for the night. And maybe he could try his luck and asked around if they had ever met his parents or uncle.

The door chimed as he entered the bar. The bar was loud and packed with common folks, drinking and gambling. As Nero made his way to an empty table, he noticed someone was staring at him from the corner of the bar. _Must be the hair,_ he mused to himself. But after awhile, Nero noticed the atmosphere in the bar changed. The loud chatters now turned to silent whispers. And their object of such whisper was none other than him.

“Come here for the hunt, lad?” The waiter came and harshly put a glass of beer on the table, causing Nero to jump a little.

“A hunt?” Nero asked. 

“Ain’t that what ye came here for?” The waiter blinked his eyes, confused as he glimpsed over Nero’s sword . “Most outsider either come here for the hunt or to seek those blood from the church. There aint any outsider come here just for sightseeing.” 

Nero took a chug on the beer, it tasted like pissed. “I’m not here for a hunt, or whatever shit that is”

“Ya right you are, lad.” The waiter then went to the counter to pick up a fresh bowl of soup before he served it to Nero. “We know a hunter when we see one. There’s no lying to us with what ya wear… and that sword too. If ya done eating, ya should be able to catch those lots at the plaza”.

Nero looked over his attire. It looked very normal to him as this was his travel attire. He wore a vest over a shirt, a dark blue leather jacket to protect himself from cold or from pointy stuff that he might encounter in the forest (which his grandmother gave him on his 17th birthday) and boots. He surely didn't look out a place in this bar and town, wasn’t him? He thought. But as he observed the people in the bar, they all wore casual shirts and pants. Nothing as grand as him.

Fuck, maybe he did wear something that was totally out of place. 

Sighing to himself, Nero pinched the bridge of his nose. If the people here thought of him as a hunter then so be it. They won't listen to him even if he tried to explain so why bother? Might as well kept on the act. Plus, he needed money. He only had some gil to feed himself for a day. Maybe this hunting gig could reward him with some money to spare. Talk about taking advantage over this misunderstanding, aight?

“So, how much will I get pay if I join the hunt?” Nero asked the waiter who was cleaning up the mug. 

“Pay? What? Those bloodviles you lot got aint enough for ya?” _Bloodviles?_ The waiter surely didn't hide his disgust when he said that.

“Erm, you see… I’m fairly new to this sort of thing. What do you mean by bloodviles?” Nero continued the act in order to get more information on the blood vile whatever the hell those shit was. The waiter put down the mug and went to sit across Nero.

“Ya came here for the hunt and yet ya know nothing about it? Ya very not right in ya head, aren’t ya?” 

Nero rolled his eyes. If it any other day he would had punch that waiter in the face but he needed more information on the bloodviles. Part of him believe that was the reason for his parents to come here. Perhaps that information could lead him to where his parents disappeared to. So Nero clenched his fist and forced a fake smile.

“Ahahaha… Well, I heard about the hunt from my pals. But, they never mentioned about the bloodviles or anything. Maybe you can fill me in or something?”

“You younglings should really be takin ya life seriously. Not throw it away by joinin some random hunt ya just hear from so called friends.” The waiter poured another glass of beer for himself, Nero gave out a strained fake laugh. “Tell ya what, those bloodviles aint cheap. It can cure any sickness that ya get, or injuries. Ya can’t find any medicine like that other than here. But we don't give it to ya outsider easily. Bloody hell, I can't even get my hands on them if I don't go to church.”

“The church?”

“The Healing Church.” The waiter took a swig on the beer, “They are the ones who make those vials. And then they will provide some treatment for us if we support the church. They don't give it to ya outsider that easily. Ya need to join the hunt to get em”.

Nero listened intently to what the waiter had said. A bloodviles that can treat any illness. Wasn’t that what his parents were looking into when they decide to travel here? Turned out he might be able to find some clues of where his family had disappeared to if he stick to the hunt. 

“When you said hunt, what do they hunt actually? Some big animals? Beast?” 

“I don’t know myself. The church never said anything. They only tell us folks to stay indoors during midnight. But rumours has it that they hunt some wild beast outside of the town. I never bother to know if it’s true or not. But if it require for those vials then, i have no complaints.”

“So you go to the church to get those vials… Care show me the way?”

“Nah, if ya outsider wants those blood, ya should go to the Cathedral Ward and asked folks there. I heard they have a workshop for ya to go. The ones here are strictly for us folk!” The waiter answered, pouring another mug of beer.

“How far is that place?” If Nero remembered correctly, the Cathedral Ward was somewhere at the centre of this whole metropolis. And since he didn't have any map, he didn’t know how far was that place from the bar.

“Ya need to go to The Great Bridge at Central Yharnam, and pass through the Tomb of Oedon. There ya can ask those folks there to show ya around. But I won't suggest ya go tonight. The gate is probably closed off already. Better go there tomorrow mornin.” The waiter explained as he got up and went back to the counter. 

Nero tapped his fingers on the table. Guess he had to wait for tomorrow then. Might as well rest up before he continued with his search. He then took out 2 coins from his pocket and put it on the table as he made his way out. “Thanks for the tip, pal. Guess I need to find an inn then, to rest for the night”

“Wait,” the waiter stopped Nero at his track. “We heard a rumour there’s a beast nearby in this town. Since ya a hunter, aight, ya mind takin it out will ya. No inn will take ya in if ya didn’t complete ya hunt.”

Nero groaned to himself and stayed for a bit for the waiter to fill him in. The waiter told him of the area where the beast was rumoured to be located. It was at the far end of the town, next to an abandoned chapel. The waiter informed that behind it there’s a small cemetery and that’s where the beast was. For fuck sake, all Nero wanted to do was to find his family. He did not come here to participate in some random hunt. 

But damn those Yharnamites and their hostility to outsiders. Almost all of them thought he was a hunter and all of them didn’t want to serve him unless he did the hunt tonight. And he couldn’t correct them because this was the only way to find his parents and uncle. 

Okay, fine. Maybe he could use this opportunity to let out a steam. Plus, it had been awhile since he last used his sword in a fight. The last one he did was when he had an intense sparring session with his Grandfather. 

* * *

  
  


Nero walked in between the rows of houses and into the back alley. He followed the direction according to the map given by the waiter. The sun had completely set and Nero realised that every resident had lock themselves up in their house. Nobody was out in the street except him. 

After few minutes of him strolling behind the back alley, he finally reached the abandoned chapel. The doors and windows were broken. There were cracks on the structure of the chapel. The surrounding area of the chapel were deserted and there’s no gate or fences. Nero then entered the chapel. 

The inside of the chapel was a total mess, with broken benches strewn around the whole area. The paintings on the walls, covered with dust and spider’s web, were haphazardly hang, as if a tornado had attacked the inside of the chapel. As he observed the walls of the chapel, Nero accidentally stumbled upon a piece of brick. He looked down on the floor and to his surprise, red stains coloured the floor. He crouched down, wiping the stains using his finger. The stain had long dried out but the smell was still strong; blood. 

He followed the blood trails and it lead him to the altar, at the far end of the chapel. Of all the destruction inside the chapel, the altar was the only thing left intact. Nero noticed the trail didn’t just stop at the altar. On the left side of the altar, droplets of blood could be found. The trail led Nero out of the chapel and into the small cemetery outside the chapel.

The blood trail stop once they were outside. The cemetery was overtaken with wild grass and weeds, making it obvious that this place was abandoned long ago. In the middle of the cemetery, there was a dead tree with some of it trunks broken. Nero marched towards the tree. Other than himself, there’s no one here. He didn’t see any living creatures, let alone a beast. Guess the rumours were just rumours after all.

He circled a few feet away from the tree before his boots stepped onto something. He moved his feet as he bent down to look at what he had stepped on.

Skulls. Lots and lots of skulls.

Nero stumbled backwards out of shock, and his back hit a wooden plank. He turned around and finally he realised the skeletons on the ground. 

“Wow, this surely IS a graveyard.” He joked to himself, trying to light up the mood.

Not wanting to step on the skeletons, Nero carefully place his footing as he approached the tree once more. There, dangling on the tree branches,he saw a necklace with a blue stone embedded on it. As he stepped closer to reach for the necklace, he saw a perfect remains of what he assumed to be a woman, - he assumed it gender based on the clothing and the skull structure - laid on the tree, just underneath the necklace.

“What the hell is going on here?” He muttered to himself. He tried to move away but something felt not quite right. That woman… the clothes look eerily familiar. Had he seen it somewhere? The clothes were torn and dirty with mud. Based on the condition of the remains, it had been here for more than a year or something. Nero shook his head. Maybe he had seen the townspeople wore the same clothes when he walked around the street. 

Nero was considering to head back and report to any local authority he could find over this body, when a strong wind gushed through and the necklace fell on top of the body.

Feeling intrigued, Nero took the necklace. And again, the feeling of familiarity kicked in. He had seen this necklace before. The bluestone on the necklace was not something that could be found anywhere on this earth. He remembered his father once gave the exact same necklace to his mother… and the bluestone had been adorned on his mother neck for some years now…

Nero found himself hard to breathe. His lungs felt heavy all of the sudden. Silence fell as he could hear the spike beating of his heart. His father said the bluestone acted as a pendant, and on it side there was a small button. 

And this pendant had a small button on its side too.

_“Mother,” young Nero called for his mother as he was inspecting the bluestone necklace his father had gifted to his mother, “can you show me the picture you put inside, please?”_

Nero’s hand started to tremble.

_“Oh sure, honey. Let me open it up for you.” His mother sat herself on the floor next to Nero. Nero crawled over his mother’s lap and sat there. His mother gave out a small chuckle as she click the pendant open._

_“It’s a picture of you, Nero, and your father!”_

Nero’s breath hitched as he saw a picture of his younger self and his father inside the pendant. He was shaking terribly as he held out the pendant. His mouth felt so dry as nothing ever came out from him. Nero shakily glanced over to the body. It’s…

Mother…?

A loud growl snapped Nero out of his shock state, as a huge hairy figure jumped toward him. Nero managed to dodge from being crushed by the figure and moved a few feet away from the tree. His right hand was still clutching the pendant. Nero was panting heavily as he finally got a good image of the figure. In front of him, in between his mother’s body and himself, was a hairy beast with horns on each side of its head, crutching on the ground. The beast was covered with long fur, a mix of silver and ash grey. Its claws were long and sharp, and with coloured as dark as the night. Heat radiated from its snout as it inhale the air. The beast growled lowly and Nero could see its fangs and teeth. But what strike Nero the most was its eyes. The beast’s eyes were bluish in colour, like the colour of the blue flame he once saw in his father's study. 

The beast howled again and Nero reached his back for his sword. The beast leapt forward with it claws aim to strike. Nero managed to parry it with his sword before he kicked the beast’s abdomen, and rolled over. The beast grumbled and Nero swore he could feel it vibrating inside his heart. 

The beast attacked again and Nero did his best to dodge and parry. The beast was fast despite it large build, and Nero couldn’t find any opening to retaliate. Nero had to go on the defensive as the beast kept on slashing its claws erratically. It was when Nero managed to distance himself further from the beast, Nero took out his gun, Blue Rose. 

The beast leapt and raised its arm. Nero took this chance to shoot it on its face. The beast then staggered a bit and Nero draw his sword forward, taking the opportunity to draw a strike.

Then his eyes caught something dangling near the beast waist. A broken sword. A sword, with unique intricate pattern that only one person on earth wielded it.

_“Remember this, Nero: When you are in a fight, focus! Do not get distracted by your surroundings.” His father had once said during one of their training. Nero gripped his practice sword tightly. Sweat covered his forehead as he tried to land a hit on his father, who was dodging it effortlessly while reading his book._

“Fa- Father?”

_“If you lose your focus in a fight, chances are, you will create an opening for your enemy to strike back.”_

The beast straightened itself as it recovered . Then used it arm to shove Nero away. Nero didn’t manage to block the blow and was tossed a few feet away. He crashed on the concrete wall of the chapel, causing him to cough out blood.

The beast didn't give Nero a chance to recover as it jumped forward. Nero rolled to his left seconds before the beast crashed his body. He tried to take back his sword but the beast roar loudly, showing its sharp teeth and claws.

"Fuck!" Nero ran to the other side. Jumping on the boxes before he made a detour. He needed to overrun this beast and get his sword back. But the beast didn't give him any space for him to think of anything as it kept on attacking, striking its claws, and moving erratically. 

Not to mention the broken sword on the beast waist had caused Nero to not be able to focus properly. His mind was racing with so many questions that he couldn't dare to find the answers. He wanted to think that he might be imagined things, that his mind was playing a trick on him after his encounter with the body that he, - as much as he didn't want to believe it to be true, believed was his mother. But as he relentlessly dodging and avoiding all the deadly strikes, Nero was certain that the broken sword was none other belong to his father. 

No. The beast must have taken the sword from him. There's no way. His father was a sting fighter. There was no fucking way-

Caught in his turmoil, Nero realised that he was pushed back to a wall, with no means of escape. And the beast charged forward, bringing it claws to slash through Nero's body...

BANG!

The beast stumbled sideways as it was shot, saving Nero from its fatal blow. Nero turned to the sound of the gunshot. In the chaos, a man appeared right in front of him. Nero couldn't take a look at his features as he wore a hat and his long collar coat covered most of his face. 

"Go!" The man shouted, as he took out a weapon that looked like a saw cleaver. "Get out of here while you still can!" The man took a battle stance, holding the handle of the cleaver tighter. He glanced to his back, "Hurry!" 

Nero couldn't move his body. He recognised the voice. 

"Uncle Dante…?" 

The man froze before he turned himself facing Nero. Now, Nero could clearly see the man's face. 

"Nero?" Dante said in a whisper. Surprise colour his expression. "What- what are you doing here?" 

Nero tried to answer when they were both interrupted by a low rumbling sound coming from the beast. The beast, now fully recovered from the shot, growled louder as it slowly ready itself to strike. 

"Shit, he's pissed." Dante gave a weary smile. This was the first time Nero saw his uncle sound panic a little bit. Dante took his position, "Kid, I'll keep him busy while you get away from here" 

"What? NO! I can still fight!" Nero protested. 

"No! You can't fight him!" 

"But-" 

"Just go! I'll meet you outside!" 

Dante immediately charged towards the beast, leaving Nero on the ground, hesitating whether he should leave his uncle behind. Dante took out a gun and shot the beast, causing him to stagger before he used his saw cleaver to strike the beast. Dante glanced behind "NERO, GO!" 

At his uncle's shout, Nero sprinted in the opposite direction from the beast, retrieving him his sword and ran as fast as he could before the beast could catch him. The beast tried to chase after him but Dante blocked him with his countless strike. 

Finally out from the cemetery and the Chapel, Nero found himself leaning against the wall of a nearby abandoned shed, catching his breath. His mind was still reeling from the events that happened just a moment ago. He thoughts went back to the remains of what seemed to be his mother. And that was when reality started to hit him...

Nero threw up. 

After what felt like an eternity, Nero heard footsteps approaching. He didn't bother to look up to know it was his uncle. 

"You okay, kid?" His uncle slowly approached him as he finished up emptying his stomach. Nero still crouching on the ground, stomach feeling like shit. 

"Mo-mother…" Nero voice was hoarse, his throat felt dry and his tongue tasted bile. His eyes sting with tears that won't ever come out. 

"Nero…" Dante stopped in front of Nero as he put his right hand on Nero’s shoulder. But Nero shoved his hand away, and he stood up, grabbing his uncle by the collar.

“What the fuck was that? Th- that is not Father, isn’t it Uncle?” Dante went silent. His expression was solemn. “Tell me, that beast is not Father!” Nero searched for any reaction by his uncle but as Dante stood still, it only worsen his fear. “Why are you not saying anything?! For fuck sake, Uncle, just tell me! Tell me that the beast isn't father. Tell me that my mother is still alive and that body is not her! Tell me, please!”

Nero fell on his knees. His hands clutching his uncle’s coat for support. The tears started to run down as his uncle’s silence answered his questions. He screamed, denying all the obvious signs that he saw at the chapel’s graveyard. His mother’s necklace felt heavy in his pocket. Of course he had seen the clothes before. It was his mother's favourite travel attire, one that she always brought alongside with her on her many trips. And it was tailored especially for her by his grandmother…

His body shook when he recalled the way the beast circling the old dead tree, preventing him from getting closer to his mother’s body, as if protecting his mother… Nero cried harder, he didn’t even realise that his uncle was embracing him. The broken sword on the beast waist was the most obvious hint. His father never left the sword unattended…

Nero did not know how long he was on his knees, clenching to his uncle shirt as he was engulfed by his emotion. He wanted to think of it as one huge lie.. There was no way this could have happened. They were supposed to return home soon. They had promised! No matter how long the trip took, they would always arrive at home, safe and sound, with presents they procured from their trip.... Not like this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

As Nero’s sobs subsided and tears started to dry, anger overtook his sadness.

“Uncle, what the fuck is going on here.” He slowly moved away from his uncle, eyes red from crying. “What did my parents do that they end up like this?! ” 

“Nero…”Dante released him as they both stood up from the ground. “You shouldn’t be here-”

“Why? So you can keep the secret that my mother is dead and my father is now a beast?!” 

“That’s not it. ”

“Then what is it, then?!” Nero shouted, he couldn’t contain his anger anymore. “2 years… You have been missing for 2 fucking years! You promised me that you were going to find them!”

“I did, Nero!”

“Then why didn’t you tell us? Why are you keeping this a secret? I deserve to know what happened to them! Grandfather and Grandmother deserve to know too! Why are you keeping this away from me?!”

“Nero, listen to me. I wanted to but I can’t -”

“What do you mean you can’t?! You could have send us a fucking letter-”

“I can’t leave him or they will kill him too, Nero!” For the first time since they had left the cemetery, Dante raised his voice, causing Nero to step back a little. “You think I don’t want to tell you about all of this? Believe me when I said I wanted to, Nero, but I can’t. If I leave him here, those assholes will send their troops to kill him! And I can’t let that happen, Nero. I can’t! After what they did to your mother, and causing him to turn into THAT! No, Nero I can’t let them do that to him. No.” 

Dante closed his eyes with his hand. They both remained silent, giving Nero the space to absorb the details. Dante then leaned himself on the wall, looking defeated.

“Who killed my mother, Uncle?” Nero finally asked. He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment. 

Dante let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding all this time. He glanced above to the night sky, toward the skylines, eyes brimming with hatred.

“The Church.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The area that Nero was in is actually Old Yharnam, which is before Old Yharnam was abandoned and destroyed due to the plague.


	2. The Lost Mercenary: Dante

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta and could be OOC. Sorry about that.

When Dante arrived at Yharnam, the first thing he did was heading towards the local library. It wasn’t because Dante wanted to read books or anything. No, that was very unlike him as he hated going to the library. The librarians hate him (definitely not because he likes to bother them there, no). Plus he was not the type of guy that like to read books. No. He came here for a totally different reason: He was looking for somebody and that somebody was his twin brother, Vergil and his wife.

The two of them had been missing for six months already. Dante knew that Vergil and his wife always went on a trip for a month or two, searching for knowledge that would help them in their research. Not like it ever bothered Dante, those two were scholars. And their discovery always proved to be useful for everyone at Redgrave. But, they were gone without a word for so long already that Dante could see the worried look on his precious nephew’s face. Odd. They had never missed sending out letters every week when they were away, telling his family of their progress and how much they miss Nero. (Dante was certain it was his sister-in-law who wrote those letters. Vergil was too stuck up to write it himself). But, six months and no letters? That was not like them at all.

Dante didn’t like the uneasy feeling that he felt when he heard about the news. His gut kept on telling him something wasn’t right. At first he tried to ignore it but after awhile, that feeling started to grow and consume his thoughts. Maybe it was a twin thing but Dante knew if he ignored it, he would definitely regret it in the future. So, Dante decided that he would go and find Vergil instead, putting his mind at ease a bit that he finally took action. 

And he just couldn’t bear seeing that sad, longing look on Nero’s face. 

So here he was, visiting every library available in Yharnam. But all of them led him to a dead end. It was until he went to the main library at the Cathedral Ward that he found himself a small lead that could help him to locate his brother. (Why didn’t he go here in the first place? That could have saved him a lot of time) He showed the librarians his brother’s family picture and they confirmed that Vergil and his wife did visit the library. They told him that the couple were always spotted at the medicine section of the library and they sometimes asked the librarians for more books and information on ‘blood ministration’, ‘bloodvials’ and The Healing Church. Since the librarian couldn’t disclose much on the information the couple requested, they told the couple to visit The Healing Church as the Church would happily assist them with their questions. Well, the information wasn’t that much for Dante but at least it was enough. 

Navigating the streets of the Cathedral Ward to go to the Church was a bit confusing for Dante. So many pathways and stairs that lead to other roads with more stairs, it felt like he was walking through a maze. Alas, he managed to arrive at the Grand Cathedral… only to be mistaken as a Hunter and be sent away to a nearby clinic…

Dante didn’t know what exactly had happened. He was asking one of the priests about his brother before the priest suddenly exclaimed that the sun was about to set and he should be prepared for the hunt. One thing led to another and Dante found himself lying on a patient bed, receiving a treatment that he heard one of the attendants called ‘blood ministration’.

“We’re done.” The attendant, Sylvia if Dante recalled correctly, took off the tube that’s attached to Dante’s arm before putting it on the table next to his bed. “So, how are you feeling? I hope that is enough for you to be prepared for tonight’s hunt. I’m sorry that Father Norberth is not available to do the blood ministration today. He is a bit busy at the moment. But I swear he will be available for you to take up the contract.” 

“I feel… refreshed?” Dante stretched his arms. He felt energized after he received the treatment. Even the sore spot at his back didn’t feel as painful as it did before. “Thank you. Now I feel that I could join in a fight for days without feeling like shit.” 

“That’s wonderful to hear.” She said before taking out a small box of vials and giving it to Dante. “I shall give you these before you meet up with Father Norberth.”

Dante took out the vials and noticed that it was made out of blood. “This is blood?”

“Yes, it’s the blood vials. Isn’t this what you seek?” She tilted her head in confusion as she searched for his face. “It's an important item once you become a hunter. You use it to heal if you find yourself wounded or sick during the hunt.”

“Oh, yeah I forgot.” Dante fake a laugh. Truth be told, he knew nothing about the blood vials, other than the fact that his brother was said to be searching for it. And he was not even a hunter in the first place. But that didn’t mean Dante was not intrigued with its healing properties and he was more curious to know about the contract. “Sylvia, when you said contract, what do you mean?”

“The contract? It’s a pact that you made to become a hunter that binds you to the Church. Supposedly, you should sign the contract first before we allow you to undergo the blood ministration procedures… but, since Father Norberth is not here and the hunt is about to begin, we made an exception just for you.” She explained.

“And Father Norberth is…” 

“He is one of the Blood Ministers. I’m just his attendant. You can find him in the western quarters. He is probably waiting for you there, so please do visit him to sign the contract before you leave for the hunt.” Sylvia reminded Dante as she got up to clean up the medical supplies. 

Dante took it up as a cue to leave

“Okay, if you say so. I shall take my leave then.” Dante scratched his head. Seriously a contract? What on earth did he get himself into. He was not here to become a hunter!

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Sylvia called out, “If you’re quick, you might be able to catch up to Sir Alphonse and his team outside the hall. They are tasked to eliminate a beast at an old chapel outside of this district. But I heard that the beast is hard to put down and it killed a lot of our good hunters and people of the Church as well. I believe they probably could use a helping hand if you join them.”

“Wow, that must be a strong one hell of a beast.” Dante remarked. 

“I’m not even surprised, considering that the beast is said to be associated with that tainted woman!” Sylvia said.

“That ‘tainted woman’?” Dante repeated and a clear distaste started to appear on Sylvia’s face.

“You probably don't know her but she claimed herself as a scholar from another country, pretending to study the art of blood ministration and the Healing Church. But turns out, she’s actually one of those Vileblood. A spy probably, trying to corrupt our blood with their cursed blood.” She spat, voice laced with poison. Hearing all of these blood related things didn’t make sense at all to Dante but he kept quiet as his instinct felt something was terribly wrong, but he couldn’t guess what. Unaware of Dante’s distress, Sylvia continues . “It’s a blessing that the Executioners managed to capture her before things went wrong. They had to separate her from that poor man she claimed as her husband. Who knows what she had done to that man ”

“Wait, her husband?” Dante stood still. It couldn’t be...

“That was what she claimed, but we never heard of a Cainhurst descend marrying someone that is not from their ranks. Afterall, those vilebloods are very particular with the purity of their blood.” 

Dante felt as if his head was taking a spin. Sylvia probably talked about someone else entirely. Just because the scholars were a pair of husband and wife, investigating the blood vials and the healing church, didn’t mean it referred to Vergil and his wife. Plus, Vergil’s wife was not from that Cainhurst- whatever that place was called. She was from… Wait, she never mentioned anything about her birthplace… Cold sweats started to appear on Dante’s forehead as he felt something was not right.

“Sylvia, what happened to the woman and her husband?”

“She was executed by the Executioner, just like the rest of those Cainhurst bastards. And for that man…” Sylvia paused, and Dante didn’t like what he was about to hear “I heard he tried to save her… and sadly turned himself into a beast. I wager that woman had corrupted him earlier with her cursed blood.”

Dante’s head started to throb. There was no way those couples could be Vergil and his wife. It didn’t add up. He tried to calm himself. Being anxious over an assumption would not assist him in his search. So, Dante decided he should seek confirmation.

“Can you describe what they look like?”

“I only saw them once. That vileblood bitch wore a blue robe and she had dark brown hair, while the man… he was quite tall…” She stopped and stared at Dante, “About your height and has the same body build. I couldn’t remember whether his hair was silver or blonde because he wore a hat. And I supposed he carried a sword with him…” 

Suddenly Dante couldn't hear anything other than his own ragged breath. He was certain that this was not merely a coincidence, that the description perfectly matched Vergil and his wife…

“Where is that chapel?!” Dante cut off Sylvia. She blinked, obvious of the panic that Dante tried to suppress.

“Like I said, outside of this district to the north of Central Yharnam-” Dante sprinted out from the clinic, bringing along with him the blood vials that were given to him earlier. He could hear Sylvia shouting that Father Norberth’s room was in the opposite direction, but he didn’t bother about that. He was not here to become a bloody hunter or sign a suspicious contract with a cult! He was here to find his twin brother, Vergil and his wife! And as he ran past the street of the Cathedral Ward, into the streets of Central Yharnam, Dante prayed to whatever god there was out there, that the beast and the woman were not Vergil and his sister in-law. That all the bullshit he heard was just a mere coincidence and his assumptions were wrong.

* * *

The moon was shining brightly, illuminating the dark street as Dante ran as fast as he could to that old chapel. Most of the Yharnamites were mostly inside of their home which caused the streets to be abandoned. As he ran past Central Yharnam and into the outskirts of Yharnam, Dante finally arrived at the said Chapel.

The sound of gunshot echoed in the air, alongside the sound of metal clashing and people shouting and screaming. Dante didn’t waste any of his time as he quickly bolted into the chapel and reached the cemetery. 

He stopped dead in his tracks once he was at the cemetery. Blood splatter everywhere, on the ground, on the walls and even on the tombstone. There were dozens of bodies with their limbs cut off from those bodies. But that wasn’t the cause of him being frozen at his place. In front of him, under the tree, he saw her, lying lifelessly by the tree… And next to her, facing in the opposite direction, was his twin, Vergil. But this Vergil was not the Vergil that he used to remember throughout his years of growing up together. His coat was torn and caked with blood and mud, instead of it being clean and spotless. The way he stood was all wrong, instead of his usual straight composure, he slouched forward, lack of the grace that he used to show. And the most jarring of it all, was his fingers which were now turned to claws….

“Vergil?” Dante breathed out. His voice was below than a whisper. 

Vergil turned around and Dante eyes went wide in shock. The disheveled look on his brother was totally out of his character. His eyes were cold and tired, his hair mostly down covering his head. “Dante…” His voice cracked and Dante never moved so quickly to catch his brother as Vergil stumbled.

“Verg? Shit, what's going on here?” Dante eyes scanned Vergil’s arm who were now covered with silver hair.

“Dante… I couldn’t save her… I was too late” Vergil said in between breaths.

“Vergil please stay with me. Tell me what happened?” Dante pleaded.

“The Church… They killed her. They thought she was a spy... I should have not left her alone, Dante. I shouldn’t have not fallen for the trap-” Vergil winced at the pain he felt on his chest. 

“Hey, Verg, take it easy, okay. I’ll bring you home and get Mom to treat you with one of her spell-” 

“No, Dante. I can’t leave this place. I can’t let them take her away…” Vergil was panting hard as he clutched on Dante’s coat.

“We bring her back home too, okay. I won’t leave her behind as well”

“No, you don’t understand!” Vergil raised his voice, and winced again at the pain. “I’m infected by the plague and I can’t leave this place, Dante. I can’t risk it. Any time soon, I will lose my mind and I will turn into a beast!”

Dante looked at Vergil’s arms and claws. No way. That couldn’t be it. “Don’t joke about that. There must be a cure.”

“There is no cure, Dante.”

“That’s bullshit! What about those blood vials?! Aren’t those supposed to cure everything?!” Dante quickly took out the box of blood vials and took one out. Vergil held his wrist to stop.

“It does and in return, you will end up mad or... turn into a beast” Vergil said through gritted teeth. “The Church lies to those people, Dante. Those beast they were hunting? They were all former humans infected by the plague due to those blood vials.” 

Dante looked over those blood vials and back to Vergil, realisation hit him. “You took the blood vials?”

Vergil nodded, while looking away from Dante. 

“How many?”

“I don't remember, Dante. I-I saw her fall down and I… I don't remember anything after that. Not until you came…” Shit, Dante cursed internally. From what Vergil said, Dante could guess his brother went berserk, killing all the Executioners and hunters alike. And in the midst of that, Dante couldn’t not bring himself to think of how many blood vials his brother had consumed.

It also didn't sit well with him since he had also _taken_ some of the blood...

Dante glanced to his side, his sister in law was lying peacefully by the tree. Based on how she was seated, Dante could assume that Vergil moved her there when he was high on frenzy. Dante then turned away, unable to bring himself to look at the slash wound on her throat… “Is that why they kill her?”

“No.” Vergil’s gripped tighten. “They… They killed her because of her heritage.”

“She’s a vileblood.” It wasn’t a question but more of a statement. Vergil looked away.

“She wasn't even aware of her heritage, nor the conflict of the Church with Cainhurst.. And yet they killed her… They killed my wife!” Anger rose from within, as Vergil’s eyes started to slit.

“But Verg, I can’t leave you here- Fuck, What am I supposed to tell Nero?!” Vergil eyes snapped back to its normal form, “You kid is waiting for you at home, Verg. How am I supposed to tell him about this? He already lost his mother, he can’t lose his father too!” Dante pleaded.

“Nero…” Vergil closed his eyes as he slumped back to the ground. “Nero… Nero” He repeated like a mantra. His son, Nero, was probably waiting for him and his mother to return home. Probably waiting by the window from his room, reading the books that he and his wife bought for him on their last trip. How long had it been since he last saw his precious son? Vergil missed his son so badly. He missed Nero's bright smile and his frown whenever he didn’t manage to do things his way. Oh his son. He couldn’t bear to see his son in this state and he couldn’t even imagine his son’s look when he knew about his mother. Nero would be devastated. Nero would lose his bright smile. All because of him unable to protect the woman that loved and fell for a trap…

“Nero, please forgive your father…” Vergil swallowed a sob. He would never see his boy ever again. 

“Vergil…” Dante called for him again and Vergil looked up, eyes boring into Dante’s.

“Dante, promise me. Promise me that you will take care of Nero in my stead.” 

“No- No, Vergil. You can’t do this to me-”

“I told you before Dante, I can’t leave. I’m turning into a beast, can’t you see?!” Vergil growled as he showed his beast arms and claws. He was panting heavily. “This is the aftermath of taking those blood… I-I don’t know how long I can last…So, please, Dante…” 

Dante hated all of this. Vergil never begged when he asked for a favour, he demanded it. And seeing Vergil begged for him… This was too much for Dante to shoulder on alone. Not only that, how could he tell vergil that he also had taken the blood too?

“What about Pops? What about Mother, Verg?! I can’t do this, brother!” Dante’s voice cracked.

“Please, Dante. You’re the only one I can trust Nero over with. Promise me no matter what, do not let Nero come here. If they knew about Nero… Dante, please, promise me!” Vergil was definitely desperate for an affirmation from Dante. Dante didn’t know what to do. He really wanted to promise Vergil but circumstances did not allow him to. He took the blood. He was fucked the moment he was forced to undergo the blood ministration procedures, and now he didn’t know what to do. If the effect of the blood vials was madness or turn into a beast… returning back home would risk Nero, his mother and father. 

And Dante finally understood Vergil’s turmoil.

But how could he tell him when his brother was on the edge of madness?

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching could be heard entering the chapel. Dante realised that it must be the group of hunters that Sylvia mentioned before, led by Sir Alphonse to kill the beast at the chapel, which Dante knew the said beast was Vergil. Dante’s blood boiled in rage. That church killed his nephew’s mother and tried to kill his brother. His brother wasn’t turned into a beast and yet they already treated him as such. 

He drew out his sword when the group of hunters emerged. Vergil had already stood up ready to attack. Dante noticed that Vergil didn’t even draw his sword but instead used his claws. He knew that once Vergil started to attack, his brother wont ever come back. And Vergil deserved some peace before he lost himself to his mania.

“Vergil, I promise you that I will protect Nero from them.” Dante promised as he grip tightened on the pommel of his sword. He chanced a glance at his brother, giving him the goofy smile that never failed to annoy his brother once when they were little. Vergil’s face was brightened with relief, despite him trying to remain his sanity. Dante then looked back to the hunters, “And I promise you as well... that I will not abandon you, or let them harm you.”  
  
Never. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * The Chapel that Dante found Vergil is located at Old Yharnam. Since this fic is set before the destruction of Old Yharnam, I hc that this area used to have different name.
> 
> * Nero's mother is part Vileblood but she's not aware of it. Both of her parents were from Cainhurst but she was raised far away from the Castle. The Church found out about her heritage during her visit to the church as she volunteered to give some of her blood to study.
> 
> * This chapter occurs weeks after the Cainhurst massacre by The Healing Church.


	3. The Choice: Nero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be part of chapter 2. But since Chapter 2 is more on Dante's past, I decided that I should split it up in order to not caused confusion with the timeline.
> 
> To clarify on Chapter 2, constant usage of blood vials can caused a person to succumb to blood lust or turn into a beast. The intensity of the transformation from man to beast is dependent on the amount of blood vials used and the amount of time that has passed. In chapter 2, Vergil used a lot of blood vials and succumb to bloodlust, causing him to transform into a beast bit by bit. Meanwhile, Dante only received a dose of those blood and chances for him to turn is actually very slim. But neither of the twin knows about it.

“Bullshit!” Nero paced around the area, trying to cool himself from his rage after listening to what his uncle had to say. He couldn’t even stand still when Dante told his part of the story. Part of him wanted to go to the church and kill every last one of them. Those Church bastards didn’t even deserve to live over what they had done. They had destroyed everything, took everything that Nero loved. They killed his mother, they took his father away from him. No way Nero could let them get away from all of this. "All of this is bullshit, uncle! The fuck did you think I would run away from here? Fuck, no! I will not leave this place until I have killed those bastards!" 

"Kill? Who are you going to kill, Nero? The Pope?" Dante grabbed Nero's coat. "You don't know who you are up against-- Going there is a suicide!" 

"Then, what?! You expect me to ignore what they did to Mother?! To Father?! You expect me to run away?!" 

"You listen here, young man-" Dante said through gritted teeth. "Do you think I don't feel like putting a bullet into their skull for what they did to them?! Do you really think I _enjoy_ staying here, _babysitting_ your father? No, I don’t enjoy it. Not for a single minute I enjoy staying here. But do you think I have a choice? I don’t! I swear kid, I would have gone there and killed them myself- Watch them suffer as they choke on their own blood. Make them pay for what they did. But I can’t, Nero. It’s not that simple.”

“Not that simple?” Nero asked incredulously, shoving Dante’s hand away from his collar. “They killed my mother! They turned my father into **THAT**! The fuck is it not that simple to you?!” 

“Let me ask you this; how are you going to attack the Church, Nero? They have their own army that protect their place. Hunters that will do anything for them. And those blood vials, that make them practically invisible. How are you going to fight them all, Nero? By your sword and rage alone?” Dante asked as Nero started to pace in circles again. 

“If that’s how it is then, yeah.” He turned to Dante, “Look, Uncle, I can’t stay here and do nothing! If i have to use those blood vials just to get my revenge, then I will!” Nero started to storm off but was stopped by Dante’s gripped on his arm. “What?!”

Silent fell for awhile as Nero tried to pry away from his uncle’s firm grip. Dante refused to let go. His expression was blank. Then, in a smooth motion, Dante threw Nero to a nearby wall, causing Nero to crash onto empty boxes.

“The fuck is your problem, old man-” Nero bit his words when the tip of his uncle’s saw cleaver was inches to his throat. 

“I promised your father that I will keep you safe and I will honour his last wish.” Dante's voice was cold, so unlike the uncle that he used to know. But in an instant, the coldness was gone and was replaced with warmth. Dante lowered his weapon, crouching down to be on the same level as his nephew. Nero noticed the mournful look in his eyes. “I know you are angry and dying for their blood. I know exactly how you feel, Nero. I wanted to have my vengeance with the church too but I can’t leave your dad here all alone and exposed. It’s too risky. The church… They are not like the other churches that we knew. We do not know their numbers or their strength. Going there is a suicide and I can’t allow you to throw your life away by using that thing!”

“Then what about mother? Father?” Nero's voice cracked again. The rage that he felt before was replaced with confusion and sorrow. The image of his mother’s remains by the tree and his father's beastly figure were still very clear in his mind. There was no way Nero could forget those images. It embedded in his head, forever haunting him. His mother necklace felt even heavier in his pocket by the moment. All Nero wanted to do was to see them again… “I can’t… I can’t”

“I’m sorry, Nero. Please... leave this place while you still can.” 

“I can’t! What about them, Uncle? What about you?” Nero hated all of this. Rage and despair, mix into incomprehensible emotions.

“You heard my story, right? I’ll keep your old man company, so don’t worry about him.” Dante lifted up a smirk, that damn carefree smirk his uncle loved to give whenever he wanted to do something. He missed those to be honest. and Nero hated it that this would be the last time he would be seeing those smiles again. Learning that his uncle may succumb to madness in any moment notice due to those blood vials didn’t seem to sit well with Nero. In all of his life, his uncle and father was the strongest man that he ever knew, besides his grandfather, and to see them like this, _defeated,_ Nero’s heart never felt so heavy. He felt helpless. Lost even. He hated it that there’s _nothing_ he could do. His uncle saw the way Nero bit his lower lip. He put his hand on Nero’s hair, ruffling it like he always did when the boy was still young. “Your father and mother would love to see you live too, Nero”

“Not like this… Fuck!” Nero screamed, as loud as he could to channel his boiling rage. Everything was fucked up. He wanted to avenge his mother, his father and uncle as none of them deserved this cruel fate. His inside was screaming for him to destroy The Church for what they had done to his family. He wanted to do all of that... but deep down, Nero knew it would all be in naught. His uncle was right; it wasn’t that simple.

Dante looked above to the night sky. It was a full moon tonight. The hunt had already started again, and they probably wanted to slay the beast here. Nero must leave before any of the church people or hunter knew who he was. Dante squeezed Nero’s shoulder, bringing the young boy to look at him. “Tell Pops and mom that I say hello and sorry for all of this. You should go back to them. You’re the only one they have left now…”

Nero face fell. No he didn't want to leave now. Not when he just met his uncle. “Uncle, please-”

“You must go before they find you, Nero! If they find out about you being your mother’s son, they will not let you escape.” Nero shook his head. He didn’t want to leave his uncle and let him face those people, whoever they were, alone. Nero was about to protest but Dante cut through him “Please, Nero. Let me honour your father’s last wish: Go. leave this place. Save yourself!”

Nero bit his lip, holding himself from letting the tears slip again. He couldn’t do this. No, not again. He couldn’t abandon his family here. Other than his grandparents, his parents and uncle were his world. For the two years they were missing, Nero felt empty. He tried to go about his days as usual but he could never get rid of the worry at the back of his mind. Watching his grandfather with that dejected look on his face whenever he received no news on them made Nero feel so weak. He could even see the mask that his grandmother wore cracked day by day. 

How on earth could Nero tell them about all of this without seeing them crumble?

_Why was the world being so unfair to him?_

“Come on, kid. You need to go” Dante pulled Nero to stand up. He then took out his sword, the family heirloom that his father, Sparda, gave to him and his brother when they came into age. “Here,” Dante handed the sword to Nero. Nero glanced at his uncle and the sword. “You should take this. I know it wasn’t your father’s; his had already broken, serving your father well. Take mine, kid” Dante shoved his sword to Nero’s hand, causing the young man to take it instead.

“If I take your sword, how are you going to fight?” 

His uncle grinned again, showing off his saw cleaver “You don’t have to worry ‘bout me, kid. I have this one here to help me. And besides,” Dante tone shifted, “the sword should stay in the family. Don’t want it to fall into the wrong hands, do we?”

“Uncle!” Nero shouted. He knew what his uncle was implying. 

“It’s okay, kid. I have already made peace with that shit for a long time ago.” His uncle said, nonchalantly. “Now go home, Nero. Your grandma probably worried about you”

“Speak for yourself, old man!” Nero’s gripped on his uncle sword tightened. 

Dante gave out a chuckled before his face turned serious. “Go, Nero. And don’t ever come back here.”

Nero swallowed his breath. From the way his uncle's expression had turned serious, Nero knew he had to leave. Even though he refused, he knew his uncle would do anything in his power to force him to leave this place. Nero glanced back to the chapel. His father was probably guarding the area, not allowing anyone to enter the safe haven for his mother. Nero longed to see them again, to engulf in their warm embrace. But he couldn't do it now. Everything was all in the distant past. He clenched his free hand into a fist as he made a silent promise to himself.

The sound of marching boots could be heard from a distance away. Dante quickly called Nero. “Nero, please. Go!”

Nero hated the way his uncle called out to him. His uncle's voice sound broken and pleading. He hated it. 

“Get out from here!” 

Gritting his teeth, Nero ran. Ran past his uncle, away from the chapel where his mother laid and his father’s broken. He ran as fast as he could, never once turning back. Nero let his legs guided him, running in between alleys and into the woods. He didn’t know where he was heading to. He didn’t know which way was north, which way was south. He just ran as far away as he could. Away from the tragedy that had befallen to his family. 

As Nero ran and found himself in the woods, he prayed for his uncle’s forgiveness for what he would do in the future. Nero swore by his mother’s name that he would seek his revenge. That he would get stronger and destroy those Healing Church scums and hunters alike. One day, he would come back here again and collect their blood.

* * *

Tonight was so quiet. All of the villagers had remained inside of their house. They barricade themselves, sealing the doors and windows shut. Too afraid to come out as the hunt had finally commenced, just like what the rumours had said.

Nobody dared to come out during the hunt. Only a fool would roam themselves freely into the night. Those fools could be considered lucky if they were not found by beast or rogue hunters who had given in to madness. If luck was not by their side, their corpse would be found in the morning, guts spread out from their body if they were caught by beast, head cut open and being ransacked if they were caught by those hunters hungry for insights.

Whispers spread fast in the village. They didn’t have the church or other hunters to protect them like those in the city. Yharnam was heavily guarded, unlike this old village in the woods. All of them had to rely on whispers to keep them safe. And tonight, those whispers said not to leave their home as a great expedition was about to happen. 

“Haven’t you heard? Gerhman, the first hunter, is leading a hunt to a village next by the sea tonight” 

“Is it the Fishing Hamlet? Why would they go there? Isn’t that place forbidden by the Church?”

“I don’t know. But rumours have it, the villagers there were no longer human. They appeared to be slug-like.”

“Slug-like? Is that the reason for tonight’s hunt?”

“I believe so. Those scholars from Byrgenwerth were the ones who requested for the hunt.”

“What would those pompous scholars benefit from the hunt, anyway?”

“I’m not sure. But it is best if we remain in our home. Better not get involved with their affairs- Wait, someone is running outside”

“Fools. It better be one of those hunters.”

“No, he is an outsider.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know an outsider when I see one. And he look quite young... and lost.”

“To which direction did he go?”

The whispers stop as they look to the direction the young man had disappeared to.

“He’s heading to the sea; straight to the village where the hunt begins”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I leave the ending to this story up to readers interpretation. You can guess what happened to Nero in the comment section though... but I wont say anything. 
> 
> *In this story, none of the twin actually knows the mystery of the plague that surround Yharnam and the Healing Church. They believe the scourge of the beast plague was caused by the blood vials but the actually reason behind it is actually more sinister than that.
> 
> *I headcanon that the Cainhurst massacre and the bloody raid at the Fishing Hamlet occurred in the same decade. 
> 
> *When I wrote about Beast!Vergil, i kept on thinking about Father Gascoigne. Maybe because the lore behind Gascoinge and Beast!Vergil is kinda similar albeit different here and there. However, both are equally tragic.


End file.
